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Short-Term Help Paying Rent

If you are in a housing crisis, there are programs to help pay your rent or mortgage until you get back on your feet.
We work with local community agencies to provide a range of services — emergency hotel voucers, rent payment, help with eviction prevention, and help with housing placement — to people who are homeless or at risk of eviction. To be eligible, you must earn less than half of the typical income for a family of your size in the Portland area.  Use the chart below to find out.

Income Guidelines for the Portland Metropolitan Area
(Revised 12/12)
Household
Size		 30% of Area
Median Income		 50% of Area
Median Income		 80% of Area
Median Income
1 $14,600 $24,300 $38,850
2 $16,650 $27,800 $44,400
3 $18,750 $31,250 $49,950
4 $20,800 $34,700 $55,500
5 $22,500 $37,500 $59,950
6 $24,150 $40,300 $64,400
7 $25,800 $43,050 $68,850
8 $27,500 $45,850 $73,300

How to Apply

To apply for short-term rental assistance, just call 2-1-1 (or 503-222-5555 from a cell phone) to talk to a representative about your situation. You will be matched with the community agencies that can best meet your needs.

About the Program

Home Forward’s Short-Term Rent Assistance program (STRA) is a countywide program that provides limited housing assistance (up to 24 months) to households in Multnomah County that are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. We administer the program on behalf of Multnomah County, the City of Portland, the City of Gresham, and Home Forward. Each of these entities previously had its own short-term housing program. In creating STRA in 2006, the aim was to consolidate the community’s resources to improve efficiency and results.

STRA is designed to respond quickly when homelessness threatens an individual or family. It does this in three ways:

  • Safety off the streets: providing emergency hotel/motel vouchers for temporary shelter
  • Eviction prevention assistance: helping households in danger of eviction maintain the housing they have
  • Housing placement assistance: helping households obtain permanent housing

Assistance can include rent or mortgage payment, deposits and application fees, move-in costs, and support services. These services are provided through 19 public and non-profit agencies that are selected based on demonstrated expertise and results with similar service delivery.

Related Resources

Short-term Rent Assistance brochure

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